


His Quell

by deviantsadvocate



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: 50th Hunger Games, F/M, Hunger Games, Quarter Quell (Hunger Games), Second Quarter Quell
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:13:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25736347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deviantsadvocate/pseuds/deviantsadvocate
Summary: The fiftieth Hunger Games was by far the most deadliest in its history. Twice as many tributes in the arena meant that it was almost impossible to wind. But somehow he did.What horrors did Haymitch endure in the arena to turn him from the charismatic young man to the isolated Victor drowning in alcohol?
Relationships: Haymitch Abernathy & Haymitch Abernathy's Girl, Haymitch Abernathy & Maysilee Donner
Comments: 5
Kudos: 5





	1. The Second Quarter Quell

On every television screen across the nation of Panem was the same image. President Coriolanus Snow was dress head to toe in black, his signature white rose attached to the lapel on his coat right above his heart. Placed directly in front of him was a box resting on top of a table.  
As he spoke, all citizens hung from his every word. Although, depended where they were from, it was for vastly different reasons. Those who resided inside the Capitol were itching to find out what twist would surely make this year’s event that much more entertaining. On the other end of the scale, those who lived in the districts were waiting to find out what would make the horror they themselves or their loved ones may endure that much worse.  
Just over fifty years prior to this day, a great war had spread through the entire nation. A number of citizens in it’s outlying districts had grown tired of the Capitol’s rule and sparked a revolution which lasted a number of years. Large numbers of people on both sides dies in a violent game of tug-of-war. The Capitol developed their own weapons to fight against the so-called ‘Rebels’. These included created donned ‘muttations’. These were genetically modified creatures used to spy and attack. They also unleashed bombs on the districts with a high number of Rebels. However, they fought back by providing false information to the spying mutts and enlisted a large number of fighters. It appeared that the Rebels would win. That was until an attempt to invade the Capitol failed. The war then began to sway in the Captiol’s favour. In the final months of the war, commonly referred to as the ‘Dark Days’, the Captiol quickly overpowered the rebellion. The ‘Treaty of Treason’ has been signed shortly after.  
This treaty brought with it the creation of the Hunger Games which served as a reminder of the power the Capitol had over its districts and to ensure that a war wouldn’t erupt again. The Hunger Games was a yearly event where one male and female tribute would be chosen from each district using a lottery-type system. These tributes would be between the ages of twelve and eighteen. The chosen tributes would then be taken to the Capitol to receive basic training and be showed off to the public before participating in a fight to the death in a specially created arena. Twenty-four tributes would enter, only one would emerge. The winner would be crowned the Victor and be allowed to return home with a large sum of money, a new place to live and new-found fame.  
Every twenty-five years these games would change slightly. This was known as the Quarter Quell. These games could include a special twist devised by the Gamemakers who had created the Hunger Games all those years ago. The President would draw the envelope which correlated to that year and announce it live to the nation. There had only been one previous Quarter Quell. Its twist had been that the district’s people had to vote on who would be their tributes. It served as a reminder that it was their fault that their children died every year.  
This year celebrated the fiftieth year since the commencement of the Hunger Games and was, therefore, the second Quarter Quell. The entire of Panem waited with baited breathes as President Snow drew a yellow card from the small box. At an agonisingly slow pace, he ripped the envelope and withdrew the parchment from inside. His eyes scanned the words written on it before clearing his throat. With a voice full of authority, he made the announcement. 

“On this fiftieth anniversary, as a reminder that for every Capitol citizen who lost their lives two Rebels met their demise, there will be double the amount of tributes reaped”.

And with that, cries echoed throughout the nation.


	2. The Calm Before the Storm

District 12 was notoriously humid throughout most of the year. The only relief would be during the winter when blankets of snow would fall and transform the district into a beautiful white wonderland. Although, it wouldn’t last long. It would become a dark sludge as it mixed with the dirt and coal dust under people’s feet. That respite, however, was still months away.   
A layer of sweat dampened Haymitch’s skin as he sat alone on the doorstep. Every now and again a breeze would cool him before quickly disappearing and leaving him to endure the heat once more. He had rolled the sleeves of his shirt up as far as they would go. He had been tempted to cut them off completely, but he knew couldn’t afford to ruin on of the few shirts that were still in one piece.   
The doorstep he sat on lead to a dark and empty street. He could see the flickers from lanterns that provided the only source of light. The electricity in this district was unpredictable at the best of times and blackouts were an often occurrence. However, it had been turned off on purpose tonight. Televising the Reaping the following day would require a lot of power, so they had to save what little they had. Or at least that was what they claimed.   
It wasn’t usually busy during the evenings, but there was almost no-one around. Tonight, it seemed that everyone had decided to stay at home. It was time they were using for reflection and, for some, prayer. It was possibly the last chance to act as a complete family before their children would be raffled off and, if they’re unlucky, sent to fight to the death. This year, that chance was even greater. 

“Shouldn’t you be with your own family?” a female voice spoke from the doorway behind him. In the corner of his eye he could see its owner sit down beside him. 

“Probably” Haymitch mumbled. He could picture his mother stood in the hallway waiting for him to get him. A lecture would likely be awaiting him as well. 

“You should really be with them tonight” she pressed gently. Even though he wasn’t looking at her, Haymitch could feel her eyes watching him. He didn’t want to look at her and at the sad expression he knew she would be wearing. 

He let out a sigh. “I will. I just wanted to say goodbye first”. 

“I will. I just wanted to say goodbye first”. Against his better judgement he forced his eyes to meet hers. He brushed her curly black hair out of her face so he could see her better. Just as he had predicted, her amber eyes showed sadness and heartbreak. No matter how hard she tried, Haymitch could read her like a book. “It won’t be forever, Farren. We’ll both be back here tomorrow afternoon to continue our boring lives”.

They went through this the night before the Reaping for the past three years. Every year Farren was convinced that her name would be drawn. It was Haymitch’s job to calm her worries, even if he didn’t believe his words himself. He could only hope that they would ring true. It had worked thus far. 

“But there’s double the amount of-” 

“You won’t get picked. Neither of us will. Four tributes will be chosen out of hundreds. We’ll both be fine” he reassured. 

“You better be right or so help me”.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way” he grinned. 

Haymitch’s house was a carbon copy of the other houses in the area. It was located near the border of the Seam and the Merchants section. Although it still counted as the Seam, it’s location meant that it was a lot nicer than those further on. It was still in one piece at least. However, on closer inspection it was clear that it wasn’t in the best condition. The wood that composed the front door was starting to rot, but a coat of paint made it almost invisible. The metal door handle was rusted and Haymitch had to hold it gently. If he turned it too quickly it would fall off again. It was a pain to put back on last time.   
He gingerly opened the door, mentally preparing for his mother to scold him for being late once again. He could hear her voice clearly in his head. “You spend too much time with that girl” she would say. However, when he entered the house was quiet. 

“Mom? I’m home!” Haymitch called as he closed the door behind him. 

“We’re in here” he heard his mother call back. 

There weren’t many rooms in their house so it wouldn’t have been difficult to find them even if she didn’t reply. Just to the right of the front door was a space just big enough for a small sofa and an armchair. The fabric was worn on both and the colour had faded. A rickety staircase was to the right which led to two bedrooms and a toilet. There was only a single small widow, so it was almost pitch black. It was pretty much the same during the day. It was small, but it served them well.   
It only took five steps for Haymitch to reach the kitchen. It consisted of three wooden cabinets, a metal sink and a stove which all lined the back wall. Behind them were two small windows like the one at the front of the house. A pair of frayed, netted curtains hung from a metal pole just above. A few candles were placed on top of the worktops, the flames causing light to dance across the room. In the corner of the room was a small, rectangular, wooden table with four matching chairs (you could sum up the house using the words ‘small’ and ‘wood’).   
Sat in one chair was Haymitch’s mother. She was a petite woman, Haymitch had grown taller than her by his eleventh birthday. She had dark brown hair which she had passed onto both of her sons. It was pulled up into a bun. Her clothes looked several sizes too big due to the lack of food. None of them got enough. Her eyes were wide and grey, a feature along with their olive skin which was common in the Seam. Her features were soft and gentle.   
In the chair to her right was Haymitch’s younger brother, Cyrus. He was not long off his thirteenth birthday but appeared younger due to his small size. His hair was getting long and shaggy. Haymitch never understood how he could manage with the humidity. His own hair wasn’t that short, but if it got too long, he had to cut it otherwise it would stick to him. Cyrus’ features were also soft and there was no arguing that he took after their mom. Haymitch, on the other hand, didn’t.  
Contrary to how he thought his mother would react, she smiled softly at him. Wordlessly, she beckoned to the plate of food prepared for him. It was pieces of bread with a thin slice of ham on top. He took his seat to her left and opposite Cyrus. The fourth chair as empty; it was always empty.  
“Did you have a nice walk?” his mom asked him. Her voice was gentle and had a strange sense of calm to it. Not to say that she wasn’t those things, she just liked to know where the two brothers were. 

“Yeah. I went to see Farren before tomorrow”. 

“Oooh” Cyrus piped up and started to make kissing noises. 

“Shut up” he hissed back. 

“How is she?” their mom interrupted. Although she didn’t directly mention it, Haymitch understood what she meant. 

“She’s convinced herself that her name will be drawn”. 

“Let’s hope that’s not the case”. 

“Let’s hope”. 

The rest of the evening was calm. The three of them sat in silence trying to make up conversation. The only thing on their minds was the Reaping. Due to his age, Cyrus had a smaller chance of being picked. Haymitch, however, was sixteen and although he didn’t claim all of the Tesserae he was eligible for, his name was still put in more times than he wanted to know. Defeated, they all headed to bed early.   
Haymitch and Cyrus shared a room. The beds were spaced as far away from each other as they could, but tonight both silently pushed them together. When Haymitch laid on the bed, he felt wide awake. Sleep wouldn’t be coming anytime soon. 

“Haymitch?” Cyrus whispered. 

“Yeah?” 

“Do you think I’ll get picked tomorrow?” he asked. 

“No way. Your name has only been entered a few times. You’ll be fine” Haymitch reassured. 

“What about you?” 

“What about me?”

“Your name is in there so many times. I don’t want you to get picked” his voice startled to wobble. Haymitch reached out and pulled him closer to him. He gently rubbed his back and hushed him. Cyrus was a pain sometimes, but they were still brothers. 

“I’ll be fine but if my name is drawn you have to promise me you won’t volunteer. Ok?” 

“I promise”. Silence fell over them again for a couple of minutes. Haymitch thought the younger boy had fallen asleep until he spoke again. “What happens if it’s the both of us?”. 

“That’s even more unlikely. Don’t worry too much about it. After it’s done, you’ll be back annoying me as per usual.” 

This time Haymitch could feel Cyrus’s breathing slow. He listened as he willed negative thoughts to leave his head. He felt stupid that he hadn’t thought that they could both be chosen as tributes. Soon enough, he too succumbed to sleep. 

He wasn’t sure how long he had been asleep when he woke with a start. Memories of a nightmare lingered in his mind before he heard a noise coming from the other bedroom. Haymitch sat up, vaguely seeing the outline of Cyrus wrapped up tightly in his blanket. Making sure he was still asleep, he got out of bed and made crept out of the room. Carefully opening the other bedroom door, the sight made his heart drop.   
Although she wasn’t facing him, his could see the outline of his mom hunched over. Her shoulders shook as she tired to quieten her sobs. Haymitch sat down next to her and enveloped her into a hug. He had never seen her like this. The Reaping was a difficult day for everyone. The previous year was the first year that Cyrus’ name had been put in and their mom had found it difficult that either of their names could be drawn. However, this year it was so much worse. 

She could be losing not one, but both sons.


End file.
